Popovich goes to Africa this week to coach an exhibition game, proof the energy inside this 66-year-old man is real. It’s also proof he is far past the challenge he faced last year, when both his health and the health of his franchise were in doubt.

His hip surgery had gone well, but there was a hiccup with a heart condition that was not unlike the atrial fibrillation that Fab Oberto had. Popovich underwent a procedure, and, after he had done everything the doctors had asked, palpitations returned.

Brown says the episode occurred during the preseason tour in Europe. That eventually culminated with Popovich missing two games in late November for a second procedure.

“I really believe he was close to retiring then,” Brown said.

What if Popovich had been forced to walk away? Would Tim Duncan have returned for another season? Would LaMarcus Aldridge have ever considered signing with the Spurs?

The same dynamic is also in place for a healthy Popovich. The Spurs aren’t the Spurs without him. He stays, in part, because he feels an obligation to.

Popovich long ago told Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker he would coach them through the end of their careers, although Parker gave him an out. Given that he’s younger than Duncan and Ginobili, Parker told Popovich he would understand if he retired earlier than he did.

But the obligation went further this summer. How could Popovich sell Aldridge on the franchise, and on the culture of winning he had created, if he said he might not stick around?

This was never the way Popovich saw his life playing out. For all the success he has had, and so much he never could have imagined, he couldn’t shake the idea there was more than basketball out there.

He said almost a decade ago, for example, he wasn’t built like a Jerry Sloan. And in a recent ESPN article he revealed this was his thinking after the 2013 Finals:

“I thought about retiring. Not so much because of the loss, but because there are other things to do in life.”

He went through similar soul-searching after the 2014 championship. Popovich talked to Brown about it then.

Brown, 74 and eager to begin another season at SMU, calls himself a lifer. Brown acknowledges he and his good friend are different on this.

“Pop can separate himself better than I can,” he said.

But Brown thought leaving a year ago would have been a mistake. He told Popovich to wait before making a decision, and Brown asked him this question:

“You just won a championship. Who is going to follow you?”

This gets back to his obligation. Leave, and the Spurs are forever changed.

***

No. 2: Cavaliers finally complete Haywood deal — The move surprised no one. Brendan Haywood has been caught in trade rumors since the February trade deadline. So the Cavaliers finally moving the veteran big man, in a deal for trade exceptions of $10.5 and $2.85 million and two future 2nd round Draft Pick, is no surprise. The addition of veteran swingman and LeBron James friend, collaborator and confidant Mike Miller, was an added twist that comes as a mild surprise. Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group provides some context:

The Cavaliers had a deadline of Aug. 1 to trade or release Haywood before his salary for the 2015-16 season became guaranteed. Portland will waive Haywood before the guaranteed deadline.

Haywood’s departure was inevitable. He played a grand total of 119 minutes for the club last season. The shocker of the transaction is Miller’s involvement.

Statistically, all across the board, Miller just endured the worst season of his 15-year NBA career.

A league source says Miller approved the trade, as he wanted to play for a team where he would have a chance to see significant minutes. Miller will seek a buyout from the rebuilding Trail Blazers to pursue a team that will promise him a spot in a rotation.

Miller exercised his $2.8 million player option for next season at the end of June.

He is a great friend of LeBron James. The four-time MVP recruited Miller last offseason to provide shooting assistance, but he never found his shooting stroke and David Blatt was reluctant to commit playing time to the veteran.

I’m told James understand Miller’s situation and is “OK with the move.” He was not OK with the Miami Heat when they traded Miller to Memphis in the summer of 2013 in order to avoid major luxury tax penalties.

Times have changed.

***

No. 3: Lillard “not a part of” USA Basketball plans — For all of the stars who are set to attend USA Basketball’s minicamp next month in Las Vegas, there is one who seems to have little interest in going through the process again. Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has been there and done that and does not feel like he’s in the program’s master plan after missing out on a roster spot last year. Joe Freeman of the Oregonian has more:

It appears that one Trail Blazers player will participate in an August minicamp for USA Basketball. But it won’t be Damian Lillard.

According to ESPN, center Mason Plumlee has been invited to participate in a three-day minicamp for the US National Team that will take place next month in Las Vegas. It will be the second consecutive summer that Mason, who played on Team USA in the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, will don red, white and blue.

His participation in next month’s event ensures that he will have the chance to make the 12-man team that will represent the United States in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Meanwhile, it appears that Lillard, the Blazers’ All-Star point guard, will not participate in next month’s minicamp. During a Saturday night appearance on CBS Radio, Lillard told host Jody Mac he would “probably not” play.

“I did it the last few summers and last summer I didn’t make it,” Lillard said, when Mac asked why he wouldn’t participate. “I don’t know why I would go. After I got cut last summer, I don’t think I’m a part of it.”

Lillard did not respond to a text message from The Oregonian/OregonLive seeking comment.

Last summer, Lillard was one of the final cuts on the FIBA World Cup team. And while he publicly expressed appreciation for the chance to represent his country — and said he was not “worried or down about the situation” — he privately felt slighted by his omission from the team.

“From a basketball standpoint, the greatest championship would be 1985, the first time we beat Boston,” Vitti said as he slowly consumed an open-faced gyro at an upscale Manhattan Beach restaurant near his home. “We lost to the Celtics the year before and should have beat them. A lot of my interview with Riley was him talking about that. He said to me, ‘We need to win.’”

Vitti has had a special place within the Lakers. He’s a liaison between the players and coaches/front office. He sits close to Byron Scott on the bench. It’s a job he has grown into and is passionate about. When the Lakers health fortunes turned on the team in the past few years, some of the louder than smart Lakers fans online blamed Vitti. Wiser fans knew that what happened to Steve Nash’s nerves, Kobe’s Achilles, Julius Randle‘s leg, and on down the list were not on the training staff.

Vitti could have stayed on as long as he wanted. But it’s time, he said.

“When somebody gets hurt, I blame myself. That’s the Laker way — you’ve got a problem, you go in the bathroom, you look in the mirror, you start with that person,” Vitti said. “The one that really affected me and maybe even affected this decision [to retire] was Julius Randle. All of his doctors and his surgeon are saying that nothing was missed, but the guy goes out there and breaks his leg the first game [last season]. That one really bothered me.”

July 26, 2015 · 4:08PM

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HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — Blake Griffin will be in attendance at next month’s USA Basketball minicamp in Las Vegas with an eye towards earning a roster spot on the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, according to a report to from Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.

Griffinmissed out on opportunities to chase gold medals twice before, having to withdraw due to injuries from the 2012 (torn meniscus left knee) team that won gold at the London Olympics and the team last year (back injury) that rolled to gold at the FIBA World Cup in Spain.

Griffin is one of the many NBA stars, including four members of the world champion Golden State Warriors, expected to convene in Las Vegas for the minicamp. Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball’s managing director, has already made it clear that any player interested in a roster spot for Rio must attend the minicamp.

A source told ESPN’s Calvin Watkins that Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden will also attend the minicamp. Harden, who played a key role on the World Cup team last season, led the NBA with 2,981 minutes played during the regular season.

Curry and Thompson were key members of the Team USA squad that won the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain. Green and Barnes, as ESPN.com reported earlier this month, are recent invitees to the minicamp, which USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo has billed as more of a “reunion” for USAB players, coaches and staffers than a competitive basketball event.

Sources told Stein that Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley has also accepted his recent invitation to attend the camp, with Washington’s Bradley Beal, Utah’s Gordon Hayward and Portland’s Mason Plumlee (who played on the World Cup team last summer) also planning to attend.

The San Antonio Express-News, meanwhile, reported Sunday that newly re-signed star swingman Kawhi Leonard will make himself available for the camp after he bypassed national team invites the past two summers.

March 19, 2015 · 9:57AM

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For USA Basketball, preparation for the 2016 Olympics has already begun.

As a result of its gold medal victory in last year’s World Cup of Basketball, the U.S. has qualified for the Rio games and won’t be participating in this summer’s FIBA Americas tournament, where two more Olympic bids will be earned. But the U.S. will bring together staff and players in Las Vegas for a four-day mini-camp in August. Potential Olympians were notified of the camp last fall, and the USA Basketball staff has been in communication with them throughout the season.

There are currently 34 players on the National Team roster. The list includes an initial 28-man pool that was announced last January, as well as six players — DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Paul Millsap, Chandler Parsons, Mason Plumlee and John Wall — that were added last summer.

It includes MVP candidates Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, James Harden, LeBron James, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, as well as reigning MVP Kevin Durant and Paul George, who broke his leg playing in a USA Basketball exhibition last summer.

This summer’s mini-camp will include another exhibition game at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV, where George snapped his right leg against the bottom of the basket stanchion last Aug. 1. The stanchions at Thomas & Mack have since been replaced by ones that are further from the court.

Though George has been practicing with the Indiana Pacers for three weeks, he has yet to decide if he’ll play this season. But he told NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner on Wednesday that his summer plans won’t change whether or not he plays between now and the end of the Pacers’ season. And when asked about the mini-camp, he was clear that he intends to be there.

“I’m in,” George said. “Of course.”

“The day it happened,” George added, referencing his injury, “right after, I told them I looked forward to continuing on with USA basketball.” (more…)

February 5, 2015 · 7:41PM

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HANG TIME BIG CITY — Forget East versus West. After two years of NBA All-Star Saturday Night pitting one conference against the other, this time, it’s personal. And for once, long range marksmanship may trump dunks as the center of attraction.

Conference affiliations will be out the window on Saturday, Feb. 14, for the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. This year, it’s every man and woman for themselves in the annual Saturday night showcase.

In the Degree Shooting Stars competition, the two-time defending championship team of Chris Bosh, Dominique Wilkins and Swin Cash will reunite. Although this is a shooting competition, Team Davis, made up of Anthony Davis, Scottie Pippen and Elena Delle Donne, will have unbelievable length. Other participants include Golden State’s Stephen Curry and his father, retired guard Dell.

Eight players will compete in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, a three-round, obstacle-course competition that tests dribbling, passing, agility and shooting skills. Seven of those players are point guards, including the defending champ, Utah’s Trey Burke, as well as All-Stars Kyle Lowry, Jeff Teague and John Wall. The lone non-point guard in the field is Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, an All-Star swingman with well-rounded skills.

The Sprite Slam Dunk field was announced a few weeks ago. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zach LaVine, Victor Oladipo and Mason Plumlee bring an energetic edge to the proceedings this season. Brooklyn’s Plumlee is the lone active NBA player with New York ties participating on Saturday night.

Marco Belinelli, Spurs — Last year’s defending champ, Belinelli has played just 30 games this season due to injury. Belinelli has the lowest 3-point percentage (38.2) of any player in the Three-Point Contest field.

Klay Thompson, Warriors — At 44.6 percent, Thompson trails only Korver in 3-point percentage this season. Thompson and Curry are the only teammates ever to combine for 400 3-pointers in back-to-back seasons.

James Harden, Rockets — Fifth this season in 3-pointers made and attempts, and the NBA’s leading scorer at 27 points.

Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers — Other than Belinelli, Irving has the least made treys in the field, with 100. But last year’s All-Star Game MVP has a flair for the dramatic, and he knocked down 11 3s in his 55-point performance a few weeks back against Portland.

Kyle Korver, Hawks — On pace to have the greatest 3-point shooting season in NBA history, currently leading the NBA in 3-point accuracy at 53.2 percent. Korver is attempting to become the first player in history among qualifiers to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc and 90 percent from the free-throw line.

Wesley Matthews, Trail Blazers — Leads the NBA in 3-pointers made (151) and attempted (375). Has had 11 games this season where he made at least 5 3-pointers.

J.J. Redick, Clippers — Has made 114 3-pointers, putting him on track to break his previous high of 165. Currently shooting a career-high 43.2 percent on 3s.

State Farm NBA All-Star Saturday Night will be televised live exclusively on TNT on Saturday, Feb. 14, from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

This year, though, it’s us against them. No matter which team you’re rooting for.

This season, the Rising Stars Challenge introduces a new format, with players from the United States going against a team of international players. The rosters were selected by the league’s assistant coaches, with one ballot for each of the NBA’s 30 teams. Both 10-man rosters include four guards, four frontcourt players and two players regardless of position. Each team also features a minimum of three first-year players and three second-year players among its 10 spots.

This year’s edition showcases 10 of the top 15 picks from the 2013 NBA Draft, and all four participants in the 2015 Sprite Slam Dunk. The Minnesota Timberwolves are the most represented team, with four Timberwolves split evenly between the two teams. The Utah Jazz will have three players involved, and the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic each are sending two players.

The World Team will be heavy on big men, including Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Minnesota’s Gorgui Dieng, Utah’s Rudy Gobert, Chicago’s Nikola Mirotic and Boston’s Kelly Olynyk. Canada will be the most represented international country with Olynyk and Minnesota’s Andrew Wiggins.

The BBVA Rising Stars Challenge is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 13, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The head coaches for the 21st BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge will be assistants from the 2015 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs. Hawks assistant coach Kenny Atkinson will lead the World Team, and Golden State Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry will coach the U.S. Team. The game will be televised live on TNT at 9 p.m. ET.

January 27, 2015 · 7:02PM

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HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — Someone long, someone new, someone blue and someone true to New York City for All-Star 2015.

We’ll get it all during All-Star Saturday night, which will officially be showtime for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zach LaVine, Victor Oladipo and Mason Plumlee, the four players who will vie for above-the-rim supremacy in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

Antetokounmpo, the extremely long and ridiculously athletic Milwaukee Bucks swingman, brings his own brand of excitement to a contest that is always in search of a new wrinkle.

LaVine, the Minnesota Timberwolves rookie with the otherworldly bounce, was made for this contest.

Oladipo, who sports blue every night for the Orlando Magic, brings a 360-degree flair to the party, is a showman if ever there was one.

And Plumlee, the Nets’ big man who will have the luxury of battling on his own floor in Brooklyn, should know where all the sweet spots are on the floor at Barclays Center.

Whatever happens, we’ll have some fresh blood hoisting the trophy when it’s all over.

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***

Oladipo:

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Plumlee:

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***

In addition to the fresh faces in the four-dunker field, we’ll also have some revised rules for the competition this year:

* JUDGES – There will be five judges. For each dunk, a score from 6-10 will be given by each judge, resulting in a maximum score of 50 and a minimum score of 30.

* ATTEMPTS PER DUNK – For each scored dunk in both rounds (Dunks #1 and #2 in the first round and Dunks # 1 and #2 in the final round), each dunker will be limited to three attempts to complete a given dunk.

* ATTEMPT DEFINTION – An attempt is defined as the player controlling the basketball and moving it toward the rim.

* OFFICIATING – A referee will judge whether a dunk is considered a made dunk or a missed dunk. Made dunks cannot be “replaced”, even if the dunker has remaining attempts.

* PROPS – Use of any props or other people in any way during the slam dunk competition must be approved in advance of the competition by the NBA Basketball Operations department.

* INSTANT REPLAY – At the discretion of the referee, instant replay may be utilized for rules compliance.

* TIEBREAKERS – In the event a tie in the first round needs to be broken in order to determine one or both of the top two finishers, a one-dunk “dunk-off” involving the tied players will take place to determine which player(s) will advance to the final round. In the event of a tie in the final round, a one-dunk dunk-off will take place to determine the champion. Any dunk-off will be repeated as necessary until the tie is broken. All dunk-offs (including a final round dunk-off) will be judged by the panel of five judges. Consistent with the rules applicable to the first round and the final round, each dunker will have three attempts to complete a dunk in the dunk-off.

There will be two dunks in the first round. And the first dunk will determine the order for the second dunk (player with the lowest score dunks first). The two dunkers with the highest composite scores from the first round advance to the final round (with a maximum score of 100 and a minimum of 60).

The final round will consist of two dunks as well, with the dunker with the lowest composite score from the first round going first. The dunkers alternate until each of the finalists has completed two dunks. The dunker with the highest composite score from the final round takes the crown.

January 16, 2015 · 1:08PM

If a rumored three-team NBA trade were to shrink to the more common two-team transaction, it might lose some claim to “blockbuster” designation. But it still could alter conference standings and generate headlines.

At the very least, it could keep social media abuzz. While Tweets a-plenty early Friday noted that the Charlotte Hornets’ involvement in a multi-team trade – center Brook Lopez going from Brooklyn to Oklahoma City, with Lance Stephenson winding up with the Nets – was dead, the Lopez-to-Thunder part remained very much alive as the morning played out.

Either Charlotte didn’t like what it purportedly would have reaped from the alleged three-teamer (guards Jeremy Lamb and Jarrett Jack) or Brooklyn reconsidered the acquisition of Stephenson.

But a deal that lands one-time All-Star Lopez in OKC still was looking probable. As our own John Schuhmannexplained, moving Lopez as part of its rebuild while opening opportunities for Mason Plumlee are rock-solid motives for Brooklyn. And the Thunder seem committed to the idea of adding Lopez’s size and offensive game as a formidable third option alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

The Thunder and Nets are discussing a larger package for the one-time All-Star center that includes guard Jeremy Lamb and center Kendrick Perkins from the Thunder, league sources said. Young Thunder forward Grant Jerrett has also been discussed as part of the package, sources said. More players need to be included to make the deal fit into the salary framework of a trade.
The Nets have been working to find a third-team to take Perkins and his expiring contract, sources said. The Nets are willing to take a player back owed longer-term money whom they believe can help them.
…
There had been discussions on Lopez with Charlotte, Denver and the Los Angeles Lakers, but those didn’t gain traction, league sources said.

As for third-team options to slide into Charlotte’s vacated spot, Minnesota seemed interested:

ESPN sources say Wolves are willing to move Thaddeus Young as part of ongoing rebuild and Young said to be high on list players BKN covets

September 26, 2014 · 4:22PM

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The idea of retiring after 19 seasons in the NBA did cross Kevin Garnett‘s mind when the Brooklyn Nets were eliminated by the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals in May. And the departure of Paul Pierce for Washington led many to speculate that Garnett would seriously consider hanging ’em up.

But Garnett is back for the final year of his contract, which will make him the fourth player in NBA history to play 20 seasons.

“I must admit these last three years I’ve thought about life and where basketball is as far as priority,” Garnett said at the Nets’ media day on Friday. It was the first time he had spoken to the media since before Game 5 in Miami. “So yeah, in the back of your mind you think about it. But the decision is either yes or no. It’s not like 50-50, I’m in the middle of the road or gray area. I’m a person that when you commit to something you commit to it. It’s that simple.”

Garnett’s offensive game fell off last season. He averaged a career-low 6.5 points on a career-low 44 percent, rarely playing with his back to the basket, even when he moved to center after Brook Lopez‘s season-ending foot injury. Though he had $12 million reasons to return for one more season in Brooklyn, it’s hard to imagine him coming back for season No. 21, which only two NBA players – Robert Parish and Kevin Willis – have ever reached.

But Garnett hasn’t reached that decision yet, and there will be no Jeterian farewell tour.

“I like to come in each year and assess it,” Garnett said. “I’ve always said the days when I’m not feeling basketball again, which is absurd, or when I don’t have the motivation to come in here, it’s time to move on. But that’s not the case. I’m very much motivated. I’m looking to have a better year than last year and I’m looking to enjoy this year.”

And this is not about proving that last season was a fluke or that he still has gas left in the tank.

“I don’t need to show people anything,” Garnett said. “That’s first off. Secondly, for myself, last year I think everybody had to [sacrifice] their own game and give a little bit for the betterment of [the team], and I did just that.”

“He’s the life of the locker room,” Joe Johnson said, “a great leader, very vocal. We need him, not only in the locker room but on the floor as well. He helps in so many ways and I’m glad he’s back.”

“He’s still smart,” Deron Williams added. “What he brings to this team leadership-wise can’t be forgotten about. So we’re excited to have him back, excited for him to be on our team, and just the knowledge he gives the young guys. I think he’s a big reason why Mason [Plumlee] has developed so fast, because he’s got one of the best players to ever play the game on the bench, one of the best big men to ever play this game, coaching him every day.”

Indeed, Plumlee gives credit to Garnett for helping him go from the No. 22 pick in the 2013 Draft to a gold-medal-winning member of the U.S. National Team just a year later.

“It was big,” Plumlee said of Garnett’s influence. “Even [USA assistant] Coach [Tom] Thibodeau said, ‘I can tell you’ve been with Kevin last year.’ He rubs off on people in a good way. And there’s a lot to learn from him.”

There’s not a player in camp that’s happier than Plumlee to have Garnett around.

“It’s a big benefit,” Plumlee said. “I was very happy he decided to come back. I expressed that to him at the end of the last season that I hoped he would decide to come back. And it’s going to be good for me. It’s going to be good for the whole team. And I think it’s going to be good for the coaches too. They’ll love having a leader like that in the locker room.”

The Nets have a new coach for the second straight season. Lionel Hollins has already named Garnett the starting power forward and indicated that he would play more minutes than he did last season. Garnett is happy to move back to the four, and will play whatever minutes he’s given.

“Whatever the coach tells me to do,” Garnett said, “that’s what I plan on doing.

“Right now, without the bumps and bruises, I feel great. Give me about three days, I’ll tell you I’m feeling much different from right now. But I’ve been working out since June, since we stopped. Obviously, I take care of myself. I take care of my body. So we’ll see. Eighty-two-plus games beats you up a little bit, so we’ll see.”

If Williams, Johnson and Brook Lopez are healthy and playing their best, the Nets don’t need Garnett to be more than what he was last season, a leader, a defender and someone who can knock down a mid-range jumper when it’s presented.

“I really don’t see myself as primary [option], and that’s just reality,” Garnett said. “But I still can give. I still have something to give to the game, to this team. And my mind set has always been to be better than I was last year or to be better than I was yesterday.”

Why mess with a good thing?

After its first week of training in Las Vegas, the U.S. lost Paul George and Kevin Durant, its two starting forwards. That certainly set the team back in some ways, but it’s hard to believe that a starting lineup with George and Durant could have done better than the one that played the USA’s four exhibition games.

In a little less than 38 minutes with either Irving or Rose at point guard and the other four starters — Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kenneth Faried and Anthony Davis — on the floor, the U.S. has more than doubled up on its opponents, outscoring them 106-49.

With Irving starting, there were 16-6 and 16-3 stretches to start each half against the Dominican Republic last Wednesday. And there were 10-0 and 15-4 stretches to start the second and third quarters against Slovenia on Tuesday.

That helped Irving build a plus-103 mark — best on the team — in less than 82 minutes of playing time. Faried wasn’t far behind (plus-97) in less than 70 minutes of action. That’s equivalent to a 56-point win in a 40-minute game.

USA on-court pace and efficiency, exhibition games

Player

GP

MIN

Pace

OffRtg

DefRtg

NetRtg

+/-

James Harden

4

98.2

82.0

129.9

89.9

+40.0

+86

Klay Thompson

4

86.0

81.2

127.6

101.1

+26.4

+45

Kyrie Irving

4

81.6

80.8

134.3

73.2

+61.2

+103

Anthony Davis

4

80.5

81.8

137.1

82.1

+55.0

+96

Stephen Curry

4

71.2

79.5

134.7

78.4

+56.3

+85

Kenneth Faried

4

69.4

82.4

136.8

70.4

+66.4

+97

Rudy Gay

4

59.1

80.6

116.0

116.0

0.0

0

Derrick Rose

3

58.3

81.6

116.0

116.0

0.0

0

DeMarcus Cousins

3

42.4

78.4

123.5

109.4

+14.0

+7

DeMar DeRozan

2

37.0

82.2

117.6

101.3

+16.3

+8

Mason Plumlee

3

26.4

83.3

98.1

89.3

+8.9

+3

Damian Lillard

2

26.0

79.1

128.0

98.1

+29.9

+12

Andre Drummond

2

23.1

78.8

128.9

82.6

+46.3

+20

Chandler Parsons

2

17.4

79.5

111.4

102.9

+8.5

+4

Gordon Hayward

1

14.2

79.2

133.3

96.6

+36.8

+8

Kyle Korver

2

9.3

90.3

100.0

80.0

+20.0

+6

TOTALS

4

160.0

81.1

127.1

91.7

+35.4

+116

The other side of the story is the U.S. bench. Klay Thompson, who played a lot with three or four of the starters, was a plus-45 in the four exhibition games. Andre Drummond, who played most of his minutes in last week’s blowout of the Dominican Republic, was a plus-20. But otherwise, the bench was underwhelming. In fact, in what was seemingly an easy win over Slovenia, the U.S. was outscored 63-56 when it didn’t have at least four starters on the floor.

In total, we’re just talking about four games here. With Krzyzewski mixing and matching his bench units, the reserves didn’t get nearly the same opportunity to build chemistry as the starters did. And the U.S. won its four games by an average of 29 points. So it’s way to early to condemn the bench for not playing as well as the starting unit. (more…)

August 26, 2014 · 5:21PM

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HANG TIME NEW JERSEY — The U.S. National Team wrapped up its exhibition schedule on Tuesday with an easy 101-71 win over Slovenia in Gran Canaria, Spain. Next stop: Bilbao, for World Cup pool play, which begins Saturday.

Anthony Davis was, by far, the best player on the floor, registering 18 points, nine rebounds, three steals and five blocks in less than 19 minutes of action. He controlled the paint and snuffed out Slovenia’s pick-and-rolls. Basically, if he was in the area, they couldn’t complete a pass or make a shot.

It was a 10-point game at the half, but the U.S. scored 27 points on its first 13 possessions of the third quarter to go up by 31. The highlight of that run was a lob from Kenneth Faried to Davis on a roll to the hoop.

The U.S. finished 4-0 in exhibitions and still hasn’t lost a game (whether it counts or not) since the semifinals of the 2006 World Championship.

Here are some notes from Tuesday’s action …

So … many … fouls. The officiating in this game was a stark contrast to that of Friday’s game against Puerto Rico at Madison Square Garden, when both sets of guards got away with a lot of contact on the perimeter. Hand checks were called on Tuesday, with the two teams combining for 53 fouls in 40 minutes.

The U.S. was the bigger beneficiary of the whistles, getting to the line 46 times. But they shot just 29-for-46 (63 percent), leaving several points at the stripe. They had shot 81 percent through their first three exhibition games.

At the other end of the floor, the U.S. paid for its aggressiveness on the perimeter. Stephen Curry fouled out in the first minute of the fourth quarter after just 14 minutes of playing time. Klay Thompson picked up two hand-check fouls on the first possession he was on the court. And Kyrie Irving and James Harden each picked up three fouls apiece. The Americans have depth in the backcourt, but not as much as they’d have if they hand’t brought four centers on the roster. The guards are going to have to do a better job of adjusting to the way games are being called.

We got a basic look at the U.S. rotation. Derrick Rose (or Irving when Rose starts), Thompson and Rudy Gay were the first guys off the bench. DeMarcus Cousins backed up Davis, and DeMar DeRozan was the 10th man. Andre Drummond and Mason Plumlee only played garbage time.

The U.S. starters had huge plus-minus marks, while the reserves were a mix of low pluses and minuses. In fact, in 14:23 with four or five U.S. starters on the floor, the score was USA 45, Slovenia 8. In the other 25:37, with three or fewer American starters in the game, Slovenia outscored the U.S. 63-56.

Thompson shot well (3-for-5 on threes) and Gay was active on the offensive glass, but the bench was otherwise disappointing.

Rose did not play well. He showed flashes of his quickness, but did not finish plays. He shot 0-for-3 and committed three turnovers in 20 minutes of action.

The U.S. halfcourt offense still needs work. There was some real sloppiness on Tuesday, especially in the fourth quarter.

Goran Dragic had his moments – he went around-the-back to get past Rose on the break – in limited minutes, but his brother was the star for Slovenia. Zoran Dragic scored 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting and grabbed six boards.